Holding President Duterte to account
The buck stops . . . where? [Photo source: Philstar]
By gerverg1885
A news item was posted by a blogger on Facebook that said that “the NBI, in a press conference, declared that the three policemen killed Kian de los Santos and planted evidence(s).”
My question was, “why was the one who ordered the killing and dangled the reward money not included?”
I added that “the police hierarchy should be made to understand that Duterte is turning the organization into his private army of cold-blooded hired killers out to do his bidding . . . mindless trigger happy robots instead of as professionals whose sworn duty is to protect the people, not merely to follow a dictator whose only concern is to protect his family’s business in illegal drugs and smuggling.”
That was my scathing condemnation of a man who seems to be a killer elected into office by mindless and callous voters who are being killed by the very same man they looked up to as their savior from the exploitation and snobbery of the hard-nosed elites.
The propaganda machine was established to anchor his campaign and is still being used (funded by taxpayer’s money) to do an excellent job of instilling fear in the hearts of netizens who criticize him. Those who were cowed by threats of bodily harm or death by rabid trolls believed in the myth that this cyber army is a legitimate force concentrated in a certain place ever ready at a moment’s notice to respond to calls for help.
An analytical mind should see beyond the purpose of the propaganda. The actress, Agot Isidro, stopped posting her ideas when she was bashed almost endlessly on Facebook. But the truth is, those bashers are few and far between. They simply repeat their posts under different fake identities to create an impression of sustained strength from an unstoppable force.
They generate a steady source of income when their posts are shared many times over to other followers.
The 16 million who voted for Duterte are actually scattered all over the country. The majority of them do not know how to use computers and many are just too busy eking out a living to bother themselves over matters that are best left to (corrupt) politicians and their alalays to resolve.
We saw only one or two trollish, angry comments on Facebook when Paolo Duterte’s name came up in the Senate hearing. That’s the way things stand now. Many REAL PEOPLE have changed their minds and have come to realize that they voted for a cruel and uncaring despot.
The bashings of the President’s “enemies”on social media, and news reports about drug users killed almost every night, divert the attention of the people and media. Distracted, they are not supposed to notice the passage of a huge shipment of drugs from the Bureau of Customs (BOC) to a warehouse in Valenzuela.
One thing that should not escape notice was President Duterte’s mysterious, uncharacteristic silence for almost two weeks after the name of his son was mentioned in the Senate hearing concerning the 6.5 billion worth of shabu. This was highly unusual for a President who does not pass on any opportunity to berate those he feels slighted him, particularly on the issue of drugs. We saw him on TV pouring expletives on the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Agnes Callamard, when he finally regained his bearings.
And he showed his bias for his son when he demanded that his critics produce an affidavit charging his son with the crime . . . a demand for due process which he has conveniently denied all the victims of his vicious war.
We should very well remember that President Aquino was strict in prohibiting his family from making transactions in highly sensitive offices such as the BOC because he did not want to tarnish the legacy of his parents. He wanted to show to the nation and the world that clean governance is achievable under a leader who cares for future generations.
It’s hard to imagine that those families who have lost loved ones in the violent war on drugs, and their relatives and friends, are still hardcore followers. Or maybe they are just completely hopeless nut cases. The well-known “16 million” adoring followers of the President steadily dwindled when the Marawi war began. I talked to a Maranao businessman who said that he was angry at Duterte for the complete ruin of his three story building and locals felt the same way about the total devastation of the city. They now hate Duterte.
Perhaps the President was overly ambitious to dream of replicating what he achieved in Davao City. The right ingredients for success were in place when he started. But he did not realize the nation was so big and so complex, and not everyone was willing to be intimidated. He did not count on so much resistance.
He was no longer able to have his underlings block criticism, and he was not able to distract attention himself by being crude and rude. People started looking directly to the source of so many problems and so much violence.
They knew that a President who was so dramatic and forceful could not escape blame for what his leadership had created.
The private army/policemen, many of the rogue policemen ready to kill for a paltry sum, and the NPAs are no longer his allies. There are still many decent policemen on the force who would rather resign than follow unlawful orders from superiors.
Criticism of the President on social media is rising, and even legislators are starting to speak up. Holding the President to account.
And, most of all, President Duterte did not reckon that a feisty senator would become his most formidable nemesis because he, Senator Antonio Trillanes, was on an unrelenting quest for truth and justice.
The Society of Honor by Joe America 
*******
The Davao Death Squad has morphed into the Police Death Squad.
The Davao Mayor has morphed into the Philippine President.
The Davao Butcher has morphed into the… “The Davao Butcher.”
Let the appellation remained unchanged so we know and history will remember the time and place of the Philippine Drug War killings.
****
The Senate hearing yesterday was a surprise to admin and opposition alike. The simple question of Senator Trillanes that Paolo Duterte answered in the affirmative about his tattoo of a dragon on his back that signified his membership in the Chinese triad was totally unexpected that his lawyer could mumble nothing but a response so unprofessional when he was interviewed by the press.
Could this be the beginning of Duterte’s downfall? The signs are pointing to the positive and I hope it will be soon.
I sat through the entire hearing, and it was good to see LP there as well, Senator Aquino drilling to find the trail of the drug shipment (“Calling “Charlie Tan”) and Senator Drilon demanding to know where the drugs are and why the law on disposition was not followed. So there was more there than just the tattoo question, which was startling in its own right. So the “holding to account” has clearly begun, it has just not aimed at the President directly.
What was also interesting was that both Senators Lacson and Trillanes were working with information whose source they could not reveal, but the purpose was essentially to provide the talking points and show the clear pattern of avoidance and diversion by people in attendance. Clearly, the senators were applying heat. Trillanes had both financial information on bank accounts and the triad linkage provided by “foreign intelligence”, which could be the US or Chinese friends of the senator. Who knows, who cares.
The third point is that Senator Trillanes recognizes this is a battle for minds, not legal particulars. So he is using “reverse propaganda” or casting of aspersions, just as the Administration used it. And he succeeded, which explains his smiling conclusion that said effectively “my work here is done”.
Let me add the footnote, that I very much appreciate your first article here. It is great to have a fresh perspective and insights from the “real world” on the grand ship of fools we talk about every day. I hope the gist of the article comes true, that the holding to account builds into something substantial.
Thanks for the article.
Joe,
Thanks also for this opportunity to say what’s on my mind.
I hope to read more articles from you. Thanks gerverg1885.
I was surprised when Paolo did enter the room he immediately kissed Mandy Anderson….
They met once, right? Well, he is suave and powerful, and she is pretty and smart. I rather like Mandy, myself. No flighty BS, “just the facts, your honor, yes or no”. Paolo Duterte has the carriage of a man who is used to getting his way.
Nope, She did meet Mans Carpio once in the office of Faeldon, no Paolo….
If she was ”that smart” she would have written down the name of the buro customs worker asking to release the 60+ containers for the Davao group with the name ”Mans” in the cellphone message…
Well, maybe it was smart, personally, not to know who he was. She says she would recognize him, so we’ll see. We can keep score in future hearings. Smart or not ? 🙂
Ah, yes, you are right. Then it was most peculiar.
I seldom read the entertainment section of PDI. Something piqued my interest about the link below so I read it and googled the video and lyrics of the song. It was written 30 years ago but it is still relevant to present day PH. The tittle also fit the latest triad expose’.
http://entertainment.inquirer.net/241421/tatsulok-song-protesting-millennials
TATSULOK
Totoy bilisan mo, bilisan mo ang takbo
Ilagan ang mga bombang nakatutok sa ulo mo
Totoy tumalon ka, dumapa kung kailangan
At baka tamaan ka ng mga balang ligaw
Totoy makinig ka, wag kang magpa-gabi
Baka mapagkamalan ka’t humandusay diyan sa tabi
Totoy alam mo ba kung ano ang puno’t dulo
Ng di matapos-tapos na kaguluhang ito
Hindi pula’t dilaw tunay na magkalaban
Ang kulay at tatak ay di syang dahilan
Hangga’t marami ang lugmok sa kahirapan
At ang hustisya ay para lang sa mayaman
Habang may tatsulok at sila ang nasa tuktok
Di matatapos itong gulo
Iligtas ang hininga ng kay raming mga tao
At ang dating munting bukid, ngayo’y sementeryo
Totoy kumilos ka, baliktarin ang tatsulok
Tulad ng dukha, nailagay mo sa tuktok
Hindi pula’t dilaw tunay na magkalaban
Ang kulay at tatak ay di syang dahilan
Hangga’t marami ang lugmok sa kahirapan
At ang hustisya ay para lang sa mayaman
Habang may tatsulok at sila ang nasa tuktok
Di matatapos itong gulo
Hindi pulat dilaw tunay na magkalaban
Ang kulay at tatak ay di syang dahilan
Hangga’t marami ang lugmok sa kahirapan
At ang hustisya ay para lang sa mayaman
Habang may tatsulok at sila ang nasa tuktok
Di matatapos itong gulo
Habang may tatsulok at sila ang nasa tuktok
Di matatapos itong gulo…….
Di matatapos itong gulo……
Juana
I do not know about this song but it still strikes a familiar chord to the present day terrorism.
Thanks for sharing!
Juana P thanks for this gem of yesterday. The past as natural as day follows night, insinuates itself to dismantle and reshape the present. The past accelerates faster to influence the present. What comes out here NOW in TSOH took years to emerge to flower, to produce seeds for upheaval during the past Martial Law of 1972. It’s not two years yet and the tremors are now felt like aftershocks ahead of an impending earthquake. It’s the songs of discontent NOT the singers that start the rocks and landslides.
Contrariwise, IT IS NOT the voice of the people, BUT WHAT’S BOILING in their minds is THE VOICE OF GOD.
*******
Paolo and his lawyer are losing — if not have already lost — the public relations battle.
With his acknowledgment of having a tattoo but a refusal to show it, Paolo has fanned the flames of speculation that he is indeed a triad member.
With his gay slur against Senator Trillanes, lawyer Madrid fired a blank bullet and revealed his homophobic prejudice. He confirmed his thinking is at the level of tsismis and name calling. At the level of Pacquiao who said that “gays are worse than animals.” And that of Duterte who called American ambassador Goldberg a “bakla.”
*****
Edgar
We could not expect anything from people who thinks only of the same things and speaks of the same words. Hanapbuhay lang naman.
karl I thought that sharp and lethal as ex calibur penetrating eroded stones..
Popoy,
I hear you. The songs of discontent starts the landslides.
About that sharp excalibur, if it is about the whole article then I agree.
If not, then I don’t get it.
Apocalypse Now! — the uncovering, the revelation: that Du30 is a national disaster! We must hold him to account through People Power!
OPPRESSION causes PEOPLE POWER or BLOODY REVEOLUTION, Oppression starts from many forms; from crimes that pay well, from mild human rights violation to horrible deaths by EJK. People Power in 1986 have produced weak OUTCOMES because there was no follow through to make the CRIMINALS pay. In which case the present cankers are mere continuation of the past. Those who misruled still rule. The same comedians (last many men left standing) still make people laugh and cry in the snoozers’ haven of noodle land. .
Can’t wait for this brutal regime to breath it’s last, the trolls to run out of oxygen.
Alicia
Please hold your breath. There is always a time for everything, and what we are wishing for will come at the right time.
I am hoping that the opposition would read this and understand that the trolls were instructed then to project an imaginary strength through intimidation and threats which most people believed was true. This is the time to open their eyes to the reality I wrote.
*******
Good one, gerverg1885!
*****
Thanks, Edgar!
Gone is PRD’s bravado in his “Kill, kill, kill!” speeches. He is singing a different tune now-a-days but plausible deniability cannot save him because of his big mouth. His rantings were documented digitally and in writing. He only has himself to blame because he used his power and influence to create chaos. Jokes and hyperboles, you say Abella? I believe that will not fly as legal defense. An insanity plea might.
🙂 That might succeed.
Juana
Would the ICC accept such plea? But I am looking forward to his being tried for all his crimes from Davao up to this time.
@ gerverg1885
I don’t know for sure but those found not guilty for reason of insanity usually end up in locked psychiatric facility for indefinite period of time.
Thanks for the read. There are indeed indications. We hope the momentum gather more strength.
Old Abe is still right:
You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.
I agree with the sentiments expressed already. Among others, Paolo Duterte not baring the tatoo on Trillanes’ dare is something the people on the street can understand — and the legal gobbledygook offered by Paolo and his lawyer cannot counter that in the people’s mind, in my opinion.
The battle for the minds has started.
About those tatoos.
Maybe he can display it in the beach, gym, public swimming pool,etc, but other than those places mentioned, it is very private.
And they are losing…big time!
Is the President a crime lord and a Triad Member himself?
I was trying to find reason on his intense obsession on destroying Visayan druglords. He could not seem to get over his triumph over the killing of Parojinog, Espinosa and Odicta. I found fascinating his continuing harassment of Mabilog of Iloilo as against his mysterious silence on the billion dollar BOC drug smuggling where son Paolo and other Chinese partners are now appearing to be the country’s biggest drug lords. His seeming joy in flaunting his kabits, his connections to powerful people like the Marcoses and the Arroyos remind me of a small time Mafia chieftain who relishes his audience on the people he killed and women he conquered.
As a “claimed” macho man, I would not be surprised if President Du30 himself also has the dragon tatoo.
Thanks for your article, it kind of gives a clear perspective on where the President is coming from.
Hindi kaya Chinese Gang Lord ang pangulo natin.
Kaya rin siguro wala siyang pakialam kung kunin ng mga intsik yung mga isla natin.
Ugaling kriminal, malamang kriminal.
*******
He certainly has the ruthlessness… but not the subtlety?
*****
canadadry
The possibilities are not remote because that 6.4 billion worth of shabu could not be attempted by anyone who do not have the right connections and political clout on the Bureau of Customs…and that smirk (of an entitled) on the face of Paolo Duterte on the Senate hearing was a revelation about what they really are like.
Last news I read about that shabu shipment was that only 5 crates were confiscated but 23 were written on the documents…18 successfully slipped past Customs so that shows how wily and shrewd these people are because they are untouchables.
Offtopic: Presenting, ladies and gentlemen, what a friend dubbed as the “PNALeaks”:
BTW, his daily speeches are becoming more and more of a dirge, of hot air, and of their ability to chill the blood. Only empathy and compassion are reserved only to his closest friends, as he expects everyone else to bow down while he and like-minded friends try to remake the country into their own image (and to milk dry whatever riches they could get at, and awaiting those loans for which to plunder)..
Yes, I don’t watch as the brain requires positive energy and stimulation to thrive.
*******
This goes beyond incompetence. There are insiders — patriotic saboteurs — actively undermining Andanar.
Heinlein’s Razor is an improvement of Hanlon’s Razor: “Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity, but don’t rule out malice.”
I would substitute “malice” with “sabotage.”
*****
http://www.interaksyon.com/break-the-silence-unite-to-end-the-murder-of-our-youth/#.WbJe43-9Toi.facebook
This is the statement of the Congress of Teachers/Educators for Nationalism and Democracy-UP Diliman on the deaths of young men Kian Loyd delos Santos, Carl Angelo Arnaiz, Reynaldo “Kulot” de Guzman, and ObilloBay-ao. On Thursday, another youth, Vaughn Carl M. Dican of Baguio City was also found dead.
“What good are beautiful highways and airports, beautiful buildings full of spacious apartments, if they are only put together with the blood of the poor, who are not going to enjoy them?” – Blessed Bishop Oscar Romero, July 15, 1979…
*******
Why “US-Duterte regime?” Should that not be China-Duterte regime?
*****
That would be inconsistent with the rhetoric of imperialistic and capitalistic villains that anchors their thinking in the 1950s. So they are caught in a vise of their own making and turn looney in the process.
This call from the educators and students of UP is timely appropriate but what I don’t understand is the inclusion of the US.
Perhaps they had forgotten that Duterte is no longer friendly with the Americans since he professed his undying loyalty to his Chinese allies….er, master.
Hi gerverg1885, this is a good read and I like it much. I have two questions if I may. Why is it that the parents of Kian and Carl needs PAO? Can they not sue the police with PAO assistance or using private lawyers? Is it possible for them to file a class suit against the whole PNP institution?
Jerick
It’s not easy to speculate but I think that since they were brought to the Palace, Duterte assured them of justice for their son aside from financial help.
I think that the second and third questions could be answered by a practicing lawyer. It’s not only the institution that must be made to answer for those crimes…like I said in the first part of my article, why was the one who ordered the killing not included?
Here’s one way to hold Duterte accountable (for his words) , and it’s on media to enforce it:
Whenever Duterte makes an unfounded statement, media should headline it, ” OFFERING NO PROOF, Duterte claimed that….”
Tonight, he claimed that his drug war is being sabotaged by staging the deaths of those teens. But HE OFFERED NO PROOF OF IT.
It was like his claim early in his term when he said that the exchange rate of peso to dollar is manipulated by the US, which Budget Sec Diokno had to refute.
Or when he criticized the trainer planes the previous govt bought as coming from the US, but it really came from S Korea.
He is behaving like Trump who makes outrageous claims regularly.
Let’s not forget that VACC is also complicit in that they put him into power in the first place.
andrewlim8
I’m wondering if Trump intentionally copies Duterte….
Hindi ba insubordination naman kung hindi susundin ang salita ng highest Executive of the land? Should we ask NAPOLCOM kung ano ang basis of redress ng ordinary cops kung hindi sila sumunod sa policy ng Pangulo?
Anong klaseng fallacy ito?:
“According to National Capital Region Police Office chief Oscar Albayalde, Duterte’s statement telling authorities to “give a gun” to unarmed drug suspects is open to interpretation.
“That would be your call. If you are an officer or a leader, you’ll know it’s probably an illegal order, not legitimate. Why would you follow it? Yun yung tinatawag na judgement call. He didn’t say it is a directive. You have to probably read in between the lines kung ano ang gusto talaga ng Presidente,” he told ANC’s Early Edition.
“Probably he’s just that so emphatic or probably so enthusiastic with this war on drugs. Talaga yun ang sinasabi niya, na kung kailangan gawin, gawin. Parang ganun lang ang sinasabi niya. Pero hindi niya sinabing gawin niyo. Parang it’s like giving emphasis to something only.” ”
http://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/09/07/17/read-between-the-lines-ncrpo-defends-duterte-bigyan-mo-ng-baril-statement
Masyadong masalimuot na paliwanag maski sa utak ng isang lider na walang iniisip na ibang paraan para maresolba ang isang problema…mas lalo na sa isang pulis na ang nasa utak lagi ay magkano ang makokotong paglabas papunta sa destino niya para maibigay sa no. 2 o no. 3 wifey.
Simple ang pagkasabi ng utos kaya simpleng sinunod. “Bigyan mo ng baril kung walang baril”….hindi mahirap intindihin. Kahit bata ay susundin yun at ang mga pulis na sumunod ay mas masahol pa sa batang bago pa lang naglalakad at tinuturuan ng magulang na parang bata din, yung hindi natuto ng “art of parenting”.
Yan ang hirap ng gumagawa ng isang bagay na hindi pinag-isipang mabuti, hindi isinangguni sa mga tagapayo. Laging nasa huli ang pagsisisi…o sisihan. At si Albayalde ay ang bagong Bato na sobrang tahimik yata ngayon matapos magpabaha ng luha sa Senado.
Kaya nakakapagtaka na ang mga matitinong miyembro ng gabinete ay hindi pa nagbibitiw tulad ni Defense Secretary Lorenzana na nagsabing ayaw ng makuryente.
*******
I gleaned the following from (a) a CNN legal opinion (CLO); (b) the Business Dictionary (BD); and (c) Law Dictionary (LD).
1. Duterte’s statement telling authorities to “give a gun” to unarmed drug suspects is an instruction to plant evidence. It can be classified as an “executive action.”
1.2. “Executive actions” are “all types of unilateral moves by a president” that can include executive orders, memorandums, directives, proclamations, and proposals. (Ex CLO)
1.2.1. An “executive order” is an “official document signed by the president that declares policy.” It is legally binding. (Ex CLO)
1.2.2. Memorandums and directives carry the same legal effect as an executive order. (Ex CLO)
1.2.2.1. A directive is “a formal and usually mandatory executive order or official pronouncement on a policy or procedure, or one which encourages or discourages some activity.” (Ex BD)
1.2.2.2. A memorandum is “an informal record, in the form of a brief written note or outline, of a particular legal transaction or document for the purpose of aiding the parties in remembering points or for future reference.” (Ex BD)
1.2.3. A proclamation is “an act that formally declares to the general public that the government has acted in a particular way.” (Ex LD)
1.2.3.1. “But proclamations are ceremonial, and often don’t carry legal weight.” (Ex CLO)
1.2.4. A person is said to make a proposal when he “signifies to another his willingness to do or abstain from doing something with a view to obtain the assent of the other to such act or abstinence.” (Ex LD)
3. Duterte’s statement:
3.1. Is not an “executive order.”
3.2. Is not a “memorandum.”
3.3. Is not a “proclamation.”
3.4. Is not a “proposal.”
3.5. Therefore, it must be a “directive.”
4. Albayalde’s reasoning may fall under several fallacies, such as Intentionality fallacy, Special pleading, Straw man fallacy, and Equivocation.
4.1. First, contrary to Albayalde’s assertion, Duterte’s instruction is a directive. It is (a) an official pronouncement (b) on a procedure that (c) encourages some activity.
4.2. Second, it is true the directive is subject to interpretation, but there are only two contexts. The first context is that a drug suspect is armed; in this case, the directive does not apply. The second context is that a drug suspect is unarmed; in this case, the directive applies.
4.3. I would classify the fallacy as Equivocation defined as “the misleading use of a term with more than one meaning (by glossing over which meaning is intended at a particular time.”
4.3.1. The term “give a gun” is unequivocal. Reading between the lines is unnecessary. It is as plain as day that the President wants evidence to be planted.
4.3.2. The President is accountable. Albayalde is accountable. The PNP is accountable.
*****
Edgar,
I’m afraid that Albayalde and even Duterte’s legal advisers would not be able to understand your explanation as their minds had become one with their president whose fixation to solve any problem borders on the ridiculous.
But thanks anyway for that mind opener.
Thanks for this post,I would like to share this so the people may know and open their eyes,will keep on praying for God’s mercy and pray for people defending our country,God bless the Philippines.
Amalia,
Please do so because too many people needs to know the reality all of us are facing.
Duterte’s mysterious two week silence after the the son’s name came up in investigations on the the BOC P6.5 billion drug slip-up, the impact of the destruction of Marawi on Duterte’s support base among the Mindanaoans, and the previous President Aquino’s ban on his family transacting business in highly sensitive offices – these are just 3 of several salient points raised in this article that stuck out for me.
The first two I think are excellent subjects for further investigation and hopefully another thoughtful piece? (Or two)
And the third, because if Duterte and family had observed the same , then his son and son-in-law wouldn’t have been within any striking distance to the BOC anomaly and we wouldn’t be all wondering about the artwork on Pulong’s back. I hope the profits from the ukay-ukay business was worth all this trouble. Or that the the son-in-law’s visit/s with the then BOC Head has worked wonders for his image and status in the legal profession.
And while we’re at it, may I just also ask the supposedly uncorrupted senator Lacson why his son would have chosen to set up a business that necessitates constant contact with what is probably one of the most corrupted government agencies in the Philippines?
Cha
Thanks for the very clear explanation of the points of interest of my article.
Cha,
The son-in-laws’ excuse that he was already doing business at the BOC during the previous admin was too lame to be accepted even by ordinary folks who did not finish elementary education because that was very elementary.
Hid dad-in-law was not yet the president and therefore had no power to arm twist any uncooperative official in that highly sensitive bureau.
kung baga sa boksing eh tapos na ang mga curtain raisers, patapos na rin malapit na ang last round ng main event sa kasalukuyan millennium Eh.
tula curtain raiser kung ano
para sa nagiisip pa lang
Ang senado binabato
Iniinsulto. Kasi daming miembro
mapurol, malambot mga prinsipyo
pero ang ilan parang jack hammer
pantibag ng masamang bato
Pag miembrong jack hammer nagkalkal
Pinagpirapiraso makapal
Na semento o kaya’ y aspalto
Di na puedeng ang tao
Manatiling naluluko.
Dahil Kalkal doon Kalkal dito
Semento giniba, aspaltong pira-piraso
resulta nito kahit parang konsuelo de bobo
Nilalayuan, iniiwasan na ng mga tao.
kaya din ginagastos suporta sa senado
tila sulit kahit meron abswelto.
That 38-minute interview with Kissinger is most stimulating to me. It is wide in scope and very nuanced as the interview touched on North Korea, Nuclear Proliferation and China; and Kissinger’s view of China and US’ philosophy and world view. Good questions from the interviewer Charlie Rose and good responses from Kissinger.
On North Korea I find very instructive Kissinger’s central view — the evolution or scenario beyond any immediate resolution of the crisis. I find persuasive the notion of Kissinger that if NK’s problem is not effectively resolved it will lead to the proliferation of nuclear weapons in the region and other countries by necessity.
Kissinger on Trump (I am paraphrasing here): I am hoping he will have an Augustinian Moment.
Thanks NHerrera for the summative retort. To me Henry Kissinger is still the No. 1 if not the kissingest debonair US Secretary of State. Remember it was Tricky Dicky his boss who parted the bamboo curtain for a visit no one had expected.
Thanks again Popoy.
While we are on Henry Kissinger, I believe he is one who illustrates the power of Orthogonal Thinking in a great mind. Einstein certainly engaged in that kind of thinking.
Orthogonal thinking is one which identify factors or ideas that appear unrelated or irrelevant to a problem or situation but which help shed light on or solve the problem in an unexpected way.
At naghihintay na lang tayo ng decision sa main event – TKO.
Ang mga protesta laban kay Marcos ay tumagal ng 3 taon, humigit kumulang…matagal dahil wala pang Internet at cell phones noon pero iba ang mangyayari ngayon lalo nagsisimula na ang mga kabataang mulat na sa mga nangyayaring kaguluhan. At natatakot para sa kanilang kinabukasan.
Salamat, Popoy!
Oo nga eh, kahit sa pelikula KITA KITA. mga maliit na krimen MODUS OPERANDI kita agad sa kamera. Viral agad eh. Bilis mabisto, eh. Ang kita sa Camera sa Divisoria kita din agad sa buong mundo.
Caution: the tools of SocMed & Internet age are available & accessible to both sides of any camp nowadays. Learning and internalizing ethics & morality in the home, school and the marketplace must still take place to equip citizens in every level/age.
Very well said, Sonny.
Thanks!
You’re welcome, gv1885.
Yet even after stating my caution, the pressure points you bring up in the blogpost must be maintained until and beyond a change of heart & policy are achieved. The current suspension of due process must not be allowed to become the new normal at all.
Salamat sa pahiwatig at paalaala Sonny. Malayo itong methaphor na ito. The eyes are the windows of our souls. Ang mata ay bintana ng ating kaluluwa. Ganyan ang kamera puede pero mahirap dayain ang nakikita. Hindi tulad ng SocMed at Internet, meron bwelta, may boomerang, may backlash, may talbog. SA internet man at sa SocMed nakalalamang ang nasa panig ng kabuthan at katotohanan laban sa KASINUNGALINGAN. Hindi pa tunay na nangyayari ang kathang BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING. Mga protesters kaya nakamaskara. Pag ang mga pulis at sundalo nagsuot ng mascara, ang taong bayan mabigat na ang suspetsa.
Totally agree, ka popoy. The forensics anchor the interpretation. Otherwise things get “eche bucheche.” 🙂
A wise man once said:
It is not possible to build, build, build bridges, subways and highways on the bones of the dead and Chinese-supplied shabu.
The foundations of such an economy will be brittle and crunchy, pretty much like bones and crystal.
It will crumble, crumble, crumble.
(The wise man is me, and I said it a few minutes ago.) LOL
build, build, build bridges – suggest only ha, take a break
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Bridge+On+the+River+Kwai+Whistling+Scene&&view=detail&mid=512A9194D7A1CA3748B2512A9194D7A1CA3748B2&FORM=VRDGAR
heto medio pa-class ang dating, mas maganda pagmasdan at pakinggan.
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=+bridge+over+the+river+kwai+march+&view=detail&mid=3061A08AE6244B360EE13061A08AE6244B360EE1&FORM=VIRE
*******
🙂
*****
Heto mga chicks, can’t help but admire them
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=+bridge+over+the+river+kwai+march+&&view=detail&mid=24C00452AC7415AE007124C00452AC7415AE0071&rvsmid=3061A08AE6244B360EE13061A08AE6244B360EE1&FORM=VDQVAP
my apologies JoeAm not unlike the adorable soldiers these cop chicks are unthinkable to be involved in EJK. No Pinay cops in EJK so far?
PAANO NAGING KAMAG-ANAK NI DUTERTE SI KARL ARNAIZ?:
1. Kasi lahat tayo galing kay Adam at Eve, so lahat tayo related. ha ha ha
2. Kasi lahat tayo nag-evolve mula sa unggoy, kaya lahat tayo related. (meron diyan walang balikat, parang di gaano nag-evolve) ha ha ha
3. Kasi mayroong kamag-anak si Karl Arnaiz na nag-bakasyon sa Davao noong araw tapos meron si Duterte na kakilala ng kamag-anak ng kapitbahay ng kaibigan ng tiyahin ng kalaro at kababata ng magulang ni Karl. Teka, nawala na ko dun, a.
4. Kasi kapwa Pilipino, kaya kamag-anak. ha ha ha
5. Kasi naubos na talaga dahilan sa EJK. hu hu
andrewlim8,
Ano kayang relasyon ni Duts sa batang Lumad na napatay…????
THE WORDS FIT, THE SONG FITS THE TIMES
Xmas In Our Hearts, 2017 (under the time of Duterte)
(with apologies to Jose Mari Chan)
Whenever I see girls and boys
Selling lanterns on the streets
I remember the child
in the gutter shot by police
Wherever there are people
Giving shit exchanging lies
I believe that killings
will truly never stop
Let’s fight this crap regime
for a bright tomorrow
Where our streets are at peace
and all are one under the law
Let’s jail Mocha Uson
and end fake news today
This admin may we never forget
the love we have for justice
Human rights should guide us
as another teen ager dies
And may the spirit of Edsa
be always in our hearts
Yes, the words fit…..
The new catchword is now ‘saboteur’ that offers an explanation for any action by PNP or or any executive agency that goes awry. Watch Little Dutertes go forth and offer this new explanation for any departmental screw ups henceforth.
The voice of truth must prevail over the cacophony of lies and half truths. Hoping this article is not a voice in the wilderness. Believers in truth must persevere and spread your words in your own little ways, or else all is lost. Apart from the deceits of the Admin, look at what the Marcoses are trying to do now in Illocos and you understand Federalism will be Philippines going to the dogs. They are going to institutionalise Marcos revisionism! Lord of Lords!
16 million idiots and a Judiciary and Legislatiive full of brown-noses has now made a nation incapacitated to act against an overreaching president, even when laws have been openly breached.
Chempo, this leader by whatever means (mandate or plurality) found himself on the highest office of the land. We as constituents expect him to hit the ground running going from zero to 60 in negative zero secs. Alas, we’re finding out, painfully, he does not know how to drive! Now, everyone, idiot, citizen and official, is in retrofit mode. Heaven help us while the tail is wagging the dog. 😦
With the way things are turning out lately, this admin will find it hard to impose to the nation its plans. Duterte is trying hard to divert the issue of the smuggled drugs but his son’s admission of that dragon tattoo on his back would forever hound them until their downfall which I expect to be soon.
Like I said, 16 million (or much less now) are scattered all over the islands. That figure is not going to be the deciding force if Duterte would be forced to resign or he’ll be overcome by his madness to Trillanes which is showing signs now. They will just follow the outcome should it come, just like what happened during the Marcos’ departure from the Palace.
It’s still too early to speculate and we do not know what plans the veterans of EDSA1 are hatching but they sure are working non-stop to put an end to all this madness. And we, the ordinary citizens, will once more wait for the go-signal to join them in a massive protest against all lies and deceptions that we do not want the next generations to copy.
And more particularly, demand the killings to stop.
He is now threatening to put the whole nation under Martial Law if he perceives that the protest is a “rebellion.” Still going by the Marcos playbook.
“On Saturday, Duterte threatened to place the entire country under military rule if communist groups would take their “rebellion” to the streets.
“I am not trying to scare you,” he said during a visit to wounded troops at the Camp Evangelista Station Hospital in Cagaya de Oro City. “Do not commit the mistake of staging a rebellion, where there is fighting in the streets. I will not hesitate to impose martial law all throughout the country and order the arrest of everybody.””
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/929369/rodrigo-duterte-communist-rebels-ferdinand-marcos-martial-law
Offtopic:if it was possible for Russia to attempt destabilization by the extensive use of social media propaganda and a laden plate of hatred, is it not far off that a certain country tries to pervert stability here in the same way?
View at Medium.com
I think the chances are good that China is deeply engaged in influencing Philippine political and social affairs, from giving counsel as to how to control the public discussion (censorship, intimidation, and propaganda), to promoting disruption from which control emerges. The problem is that the institutions here are already captured, and the occupants of those institutions are either stupid or too greedy to be patriotic.
*******
From Wikipedia: “Some scholars see Juche as having Confucian features, but without the Confucian ancestral kinship structuration of society. Rather, Juche’s aim is a national community. Moreover, Juche has as its spiritual focus the mythified figure of Kim Il-sung. He gained mythical connotations already in the 1930s for his heroic actions against the Japanese occupators. In Juche writings, Kim Il-sung and his successors are at times portrayed as divine beings. In addition, the North Korean Juche calendar counts the years starting from the birth of Kim Il-sung in 1912.” [Bolding mine.]
*******
Sorry, this is in reply to Nherrera.
*****
Thanks edgar, for that bit of history. There is then a historical reason for the reverence to Kim Il-sung and ruling descendants. I continue to learn here at TSH.
I wonder when Mocha will publish Duterte’s “Little Red Book”.
I could not guess anything less than what you have in mind. All the signs point to the same direction.
Off topic
KINALIBUTAN AKO
A video clip shows North Koreans celebrating Foundation Day in their “Sunday-best-dress,” bringing flowers at the foot of the giant statues of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il. That seems fine to me. But bowing to the statues in some sort of divine reverence — probably a required action — gave me the creeps.
Are we headed to doing this sometime?
Looks like it. See, as a nation, the Philippines is cheering mass murders and near-abolition of its human rights.